Chapter 7

Those were pure gold gossip eyes. This seemingly polite and humble, resilient teacher was actually a gossipy spectator in private.

Chi Xia held back from exposing herself, her expression blank and her speech slow, "Teacher Xin, what do you want to know?"

Teacher Xin's eyes shone brightly, barely concealed by her square, scholarly glasses. "Anything is fine?"

Teacher Xin's question was strange, and the light in his eyes was even more inexplicable. Chi Xia frowned, "Why would Teacher Xin be curious about someone he doesn't know very well?"

Teacher Xin smiled faintly, somewhat embarrassed, but then said directly, "After I told you, can you please not be angry?"

Chi Xia nodded. Teacher Xin adjusted her glasses and looked at her. "Um, what is your talent?"

He revealed his own talent, apparently because he wanted to know hers. But why would he want to know someone else's talent?

Chi Xia shook her head, looking at her fingers, seemingly quite frustrated. "When I was evaluated, my talent hadn't awakened yet, and I don't feel like I'm any different from ordinary people now."

Teacher Xin: "So how do you fill out your resume?"

Chi Xia: "Talent value 0".

Teacher Xin lowered her voice, "I also filled in 0 back then, but I know my talent is self-healing."

So he didn't send a message? It seems his efforts weren't strong enough.

Chi Xia sighed, her two pale crescent-shaped eyebrows furrowed like reflections in waves, and her lips turned down. "Maybe I'm just not good enough."

Teacher Xin: "No, I didn't mean to discourage you. Many people in this world don't have awakened talents, but they still live very well. Just like these kids from the Magic Fishing Academy, they don't have awakened talents, but that doesn't stop them from trampling on us talented people. Being born into the right family is also a kind of strength."

Chi Xia sensed the hidden meaning in his words, tilted her head and looked at him seriously. Since he had already spoken frankly, Teacher Xin was too lazy to pretend anymore. He relaxed and leaned closer, "Then I'll just say it directly. If you can't hold on any longer, can you recommend me to take over Class 3?"

this……

Chi Xia blinked, then blinked again. So this twist was waiting for her all along.

Teacher Xin, whose job is fraught with difficulties, has his eye on the homeroom teacher position he hasn't even had a chance to fully enjoy yet. The pressure of finding employment is immense.

"this--"

Teacher Xin took off her neck brace and stretched her neck. "I've already thought it through. Getting beaten by one class is the same as getting beaten by two classes. Instead of hurting others, I might as well use it to help others. Anyway, I have a natural talent for taking a beating. If you had come a day later, I would have submitted my application."

I've seen all sorts of weirdos, but Teacher Xin is truly an alien.

"I'm sorry, I was blocking your way," Chi Xia said sincerely.

Teacher Xin waved her hand generously, "You can't say that. Class 3 has taken away so many teachers. You're a girl, and you don't have any awakened talents. It's hard to say how long you can last. Remember to recommend me for it when the time comes. Thanks."

Chi Xia raised her hand like a primary school student, "Teacher Xin, is it possible that I really need this job? I won't leave?"

Mr. Xin, who had been calculating for a while, suddenly stopped. He paused for two seconds, lowered his head to think, and then looked up again. "But you don't have the talent. How will you deal with those students?"

"They didn't do anything, did they?"

If there were a third party with an omniscient perspective at this moment, they would probably present the awards to both the Best Actor and Best Actress winners at the same time.

Teacher Xin frowned. "Nothing was done? Are you sure? Do you want to get a full body checkup?"

Chi Xia smiled and said, "Really, no."

Teacher Xin rubbed her forehead, about to open her mouth.

"Knock knock!"

Chi Xia stood up. "I'll go open the door. It's probably food being delivered."

I never dreamed of such a luxurious special care meal. Two nurses pushed the food cart in and opened the large round table that was folded up under the hospital bed. The table was full of food. Chi Xia looked at it carefully and it seemed that apart from Shengang lobster, everything else was available.

Nurse: "Ms. Xin, as usual, will you serve dessert and sweet wine after the meal?"

"Such a skilled job," Teacher Xin said with an awkward laugh, glancing at Chi Xia before immediately nodding seriously to the nurse, "Yes, double the amount."

The nurse pushed out an empty gurney, and Teacher Xin simply removed the cast from her leg, threw it on the bed, and put down two sets of tableware. "In any case, thank you for coming to see me today. Please don't be shy and help yourselves."

Chi Xia sat down at the table and nodded, "Okay."

Teacher Xin served her some food, saying, "Eat more, the chef's skills are excellent."

"Is this your everyday meal?"

After they got to know each other better, Chi Xia opened up a bit more. She felt that this Teacher Xin hadn't been hiding anything from her. He had even told her about how he had concealed his talent to "cheat" for compensation and how he had pretended to be a patient and stayed in a luxury ward. He even wanted her to help him take on another class. He really didn't treat her like an outsider.

Teacher Xin ate heartily. "Yes, I've been here for two months, once a week, very regularly. If I can't finish it, I can take it home and eat it for two more days."

"Teacher Xin, do you owe a lot of debt?"

Teacher Xin paused, his cheeks puffed out, and looked at Chi Xia. "No." After figuring out why Chi Xia asked that, he continued eating and even peeled a shrimp for her. "I just think that it's good to earn more money while you're still young, because you never know when you might not be able to earn it anymore."

Chi Xia thanked her, dipped her food in the sauce, and took a bite. "Excuse me, but how old is Teacher Xin?"

Teacher Xin ate with great pleasure. The food seemed to bask in the sunlight on him, receiving all the respect it deserved. He squinted, took a sniff of the lemon chicken strips, added some sweet sauce, and popped it into his mouth. "And you, how old are you?"

“23.” Chi Xia also took a bite, just like him, and it was indeed not bad.

The two looked at each other and smiled. Teacher Xin said, "Oh, then I'm a little older than you. I'm 25."

He's very young, which is far removed from the age and inability to earn money he mentioned. I don't know where he got such a strong sense of crisis from.

Teacher Xin rolled up a piece of roast goose for her. Seeing that her hands were busy, she just stuffed it into her mouth. Chi Xia didn't care much and took a bite. It has to be said that the hospital's chef is really amazing. They can make this special care meal so delicious.

"Would you like some red wine or something? What kind of wine do you like?" Teacher Xin asked.

Chi Xia was truly enjoying her meal, and immediately said, "Whiskey."

Teacher Xin's face went blank for a moment. "You drink such strong liquor?"

Damn it, he may have had his fun, but now he's just one spark away from self-destruction.

Chi Xia blushed slightly. "I have a high level of alcohol-degrading enzymes, and I've liked drinking strong liquor since I was very young. Did I scare you?"

Teacher Xin smiled and waved her hand, quickly bringing over a tablet to set it up for her. "Hey, what's the big deal? Everyone has one..." She paused, then looked at her, "Could it be that your talent is being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk?"

Chi Xia, biting into a lotus root ball, asked, "You have this kind of talent?"

Teacher Xin looked at her seriously and said, "There really are. I've heard that some people drink alcohol like it's water, and they never get drunk. Either, like you said, they have a high level of alcohol-degrading enzymes, or their nervous system is quite special. Seriously."

"Um?"

"You should get another test when you have time. Your talent may have already awakened, but you don't know it or use it, so its activity level isn't very high. Talent is like your hands, feet, and brain; you have to use it more to make it more flexible."

Chi Xia chuckled. "So, you went to the Demon Fishing Academy to make full use of your talent?"

Teacher Xin paused for a moment, then laughed, "No, it's because we're poor."

Chi Xia also mentioned this word: poverty. Therefore, she was willing to accept jobs that others resisted or looked down upon, and to put in more energy, time and physical effort to earn a living, and sometimes even to take risks.

The nurse knocked on the door again and came in, bringing them two bottles of whiskey and pouring a glass for each of them.

Chi Xia: "Can you drink it?"

Teacher Xin raised her glass and clinked it against Chi Xia's. "It's alright, drinking is more fun when there are two of you."

These words unintentionally touched Chi Xia again. In the past, she and her roommate did drink together. There was always a full bottle of whiskey worth over 100,000 yuan at home. When she finished her bottle, her roommate would buy another one. When her roommate finished hers, she would buy another one.

The two maintained this harmonious relationship as drinking buddies and roommates. When they were both off work, they would sit and drink together, or even go out to a bar. If they couldn't meet, they would each put a glass on the coffee table in front of the sofa. When she was on a mission, her glass would be turned upside down, while her sister's would be turned upside down.

Her wine glass had been sitting idle for over three months, while her sister's had been left out in the open.

"Hey! Teacher Xia?"

Chi Xia snapped out of her reverie, smiled, raised her glass, clinked it with Teacher Xin's, took a sip, and had to admit, it was good wine. Although it couldn't compare to the one she and her friends drank, it was several levels better than the one she bought for a few dozen yuan at her little shop. "By the way, Teacher Xin, what's your full name?"

She and her sister had never asked each other's names, always starting with a teasing "Hey, woman," so she didn't know her sister's name until she suspected her sister was dead. This time, she wanted to ask the name of the person drinking with her.

"Xinran, the burning flame."

"Okay, Xin Ran, thank you for buying me a drink."

Xin Ran smiled and took off her glasses, too lazy to even maintain the last shred of pretense, and started eating and drinking freely, "It's the hospital that invited me, come and have a drink."

The two clinked glasses again, and Chi Xia downed hers in one gulp. Xin Ran immediately poured her another, asking, "Is this wine alright?"

Chi Xia nodded, and Xin Ran smiled, "Then next time you're hospitalized, I'll apply to come and keep you company, and we'll order two more bottles."

Thinking of something, Chi Xia frowned, "You've always been like this here?"

Xin Ran looked at her with bright eyes and nodded, "Yes, the funding is more than enough. I've already done my research."

"Won't the hospital report this? Besides, Sister Lily was originally supposed to come and keep her company." The implication is, would you do the same to anyone else?

Xin Ran laughed, "Let me tell you a little secret: I bribed my attending physician. Whenever I come, he will arrange for his own people to examine me and take care of my daily needs. It's a rare occurrence for colleagues to accompany me."

Chi Xia nodded, "I've learned something."

After finishing half a bottle, Xin Ran and Chi Xia sat closer and closer together. Both of them had big appetites, and they had already eaten more than half of the dishes on the table. Xin Ran looked at the dishes on the table that she had lost interest in and asked Chi Xia, "Would you like some dessert? It's delicious too."

Chi Xia refilled her own glass. Seeing that the other person's face was flushed and their speech was somewhat slurred, she didn't continue to pour them wine. Unexpectedly, Xin Ran filled her own glass and complained, "Why didn't you pour me some? Although my alcohol tolerance is definitely not as good as yours, it's not bad either, okay?"

"I'll have dessert later, I'm too full."

Xin Ran stood up unsteadily. "I'll have someone come and collect it."

"Let me do it," Chi Xia said, helping him sit down.

Chi Xia watched as the nurses cleared away the leftover food, cleaned the ward, and even sprayed air freshener. Xin Ran, as if it were commonplace, took the remote and turned on the holographic projector. "Close the curtains, let's watch a movie."

"……good."

The hospital room was dark, with only the streetlights shining in from outside. Xin Ran stood unsteadily at the foot of the bed, looking down at Chi Xia, who was already sitting on the sofa. "What do you like to watch?"

"Anything is fine." I don't particularly like any of them.

Xin Ran nodded, "Okay, then follow me, let's watch a horror movie."